The Godfather
by ROSSELLA1
Summary: Shere Khan is awakened from his nap.


The Godfather

By ROSSELLA1

Note: I do not own The Jungle Books, The Jungle Book, The Jungle Book II, Jungle Cubs or any of its characters. Based off episodes like Benny and Clyde and the Coming of the Wolves. Oh, and I know that Khan's Akela and Leah's pups godfather but seeing as how the wolf pups would be grown up by now and would have had at least one set of grandpups.

Shere Khan's mouth widened into a smirk as he closed in on the buck. Gathering up his energy, he took one last pounce and landed on the animal's back. The deer struggled but Khan quickly went in for the kill. With a quick bite to the neck, he ended the buck's life. Then, he began his feast. Biting into the flesh, he savored the taste of the blood as it ran over his tongue. He was about to chew up the meat when the buck sat up. For a moment the buck just stared at him. Then, it slowly raised its hoof and poked him.

"Wake up!" It said to him. Shere Khan stared at it. "Shere Khan, wake up!"

"Mmmm…." Shere Khan groaned and stirred awake to find that the poking was actually happening. Two baby orangutans stood in front of him, staring down at him. "What?" Shere Khan growled. Who were these imbeciles that they dared to not only trespass on his territory, but to wake him from his well-deserved nap?

"Hi!" The larger one said. "I'm Butch and this is Sunny!"

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Shere Khan asked in a deadly polite tone.

"Of course we do! You're Shere Khan!" Sunny answered.

"That's right…" Khan trailed off in confusion, and the orangutan clapped his hands proudly.

"Mom and Dad said that if we needed anything to ask you." Butch explained.

Khan raised a brow. Hmm… most parents told their children to stay clear of him. This was interesting… "And who, may I ask, are your parents?"

"Their names are Mom and Dad." Sunny laughed and ruffled Shere Khan's fur.

Shere Khan bristled in annoyance. "Do they have any other names?"

"Uh, sometimes Mom calls Dad, 'Clyde', and he calls Mom, 'Lucy'." Butch scratched his head.

Ah, that was it. That idiot Louie's nephew, Clyde, who had hero worshipped Khan, had grown up and had little ones of his own. "I see. And where are your parents?

"They went to visit some friends of theirs." Butch explained. "But they said if we needed anything to ask you!" He repeated.

"Yes, of course." The tiger's sarcasm was lost on the two cubs and they jumped up and down in excitement.

"So you'll help us?" They exclaimed in unison.

"Well…didn't they leave anyone to watch out for you?" Khan didn't want to commit to anything yet.

"They said to ask Uncle Louie or you if we needed anything. But Uncle Louie's asleep so we came to you!" Sunny answered.

Shere Khan sighed. Would that ape never learn? Still, he bore the apes no ill will, and it was bad form to hunt another animal's cubs... "What do you need?"

"We're hungry!" Butch said.

"And you can't get food yourself?"

"The fruit's too high." Sunny explained.

"But you're apes! Can't you climb?" Khan groaned. The two orangutans just pouted at him. "Alright…" He whispered. Maybe if he got them food, they'd leave him alone and he could go back to relaxing. Pouncing up into the nearest tree, he made his way to the top of the tree. With a swipe of his paw, the tiger knocked a bundle of bananas down and, with a few bounds, dashed back to the ground.

The brothers were already devouring the fruit, but both glanced up as Shere Khan landed. "'ank 'ou there 'ahn!"

Hmm…. At least they were polite. Shere Khan curled back up under the tree. "Yes, well, when you're finished eating you can show yourselves out." With a small yawn, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the ground. He had been lying down for only a couple of moments when he felt two warm bundles snuggle up on either side of him. His eyes flew open again. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

"We always take naps after we eat." Butch muttered.

"And you take them in my territory?"

"No, silly!" Sunny chuckled. "We take them at home! But since we're here anyway, we're taking them with you!"

"But wouldn't you be more comfortable at home?" Khan groaned.

"Not with Mom and Dad gone; we'd be too nervous to take a nap." Sunny answered.

"Yeah, who knows what dangerous animals could drop in on us?" Butch added. "But with you here no one would dare hurt us!"

The tiger seethed and in a deadly quiet voice said, "Has it ever occurred to you that the reason no one else comes into my territory is that _I_ am the most deadly creature in the jungle?"

"Of course!" Sunny laughed again. "That's what makes you so safe to be around!"

Shere Khan had had enough. With a roar he leapt up. "That's it! I am the King of the Jungle! I could kill you two with the swipe of my paw! I am not nice and I am not a protector! Now leave my territory or I'll kill you!"

The two orangutans blinked up at him. "Sorry, Shere Khan," Butch yawned, "we're too tired to play."

"Yeah," Sunny added, "maybe when we wake up." The two brothers snuggled together and a couple of minutes later, their gentle breathing told Shere Khan that they were asleep.

Tilting his head to the side, he stared down at them. Why weren't they running? Most animals would have either ran or been paralyzed with fear at his roar! Khan sighed. Why had he been so kind as a cub? If he had just been a bit less…generous, maybe Clyde wouldn't have led his infants to think the tiger was some kind of cute and cuddly plaything! But there was nothing he could do about it now. He debated waking them up but decide against it; it was clear that there was nothing he could do (short of eating them, of course) that could convince the two young ones that he did not want them there. Glancing around, Shere Khan sat back down. He supposed he would have to wait for the infants' parents to return. Letting out a breath of air, he glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Then, he plopped down next to the orangutans. Extending a paw, he draped it over them and drew them closer to his side. The two were right; it was a jungle out there and if he didn't protect them no one would.


End file.
